Shots fired as protest rocks Adamawa Assembly over defection of PDP members to APC

Several gunshots were fired by security agents as they erected barricades closing down the Adamawa Assembly in an attempt to block hundreds of thousands of people who gathered around the gate of the Adamawa House of Assembly.

The gate was closed today for a peaceful protest by young people who do not want to see Hon. Joseph Ayuba Kwada (Depolis), who represents Michika State Constituency in the Assembly, lost his seat or was declared vacant as the rumours went about town.

When the state lawmakers were holding a plenary session, the youngsters were chanting “leave our lawmaker alone,” “we say no to injustice and yes to justice,” and “we adore Depolis; leave him alone.”

The House of Assembly presided over by Rt. Hon. Iya Abbas was rumoured to be declaring the decamped member’s seat vacant today, but after exhausting what was on the order paper, the house was postponed till Wednesday, April 27, 2023.

The protest was sparked by Ayuba’s decision to switch from the PDP to the APC, two political parties at the neck to neck in Adamawa State.

The drama started when rumours emanated that the member who left PDP yesterday would have his seat declared vacant, from nowhere thousands of Youths invaded the Assembly security men had to build barricades to block protesters if they would force themselves into the premises of the house.
Security guards stormed the house and surrounded the Assembly complex when the protesters caught their attention, so they did what they had to register their grievances.

The idea of suspending a legislator, according to one of the protesters’ is doomed to fail, and they are willing to fight the illegality at any cost.

Another protester said all those House of Representatives members and Senators who changed party, none of them had their seats declared vacant why would that of Adamawa State be different, besides Hon Musa Bororo an APC member had decamped to PDP in the State but his seat was not declared vacant.

Another person passing by who preferred anonymity said 6 PDP members would soon join the APC from the House

Journalists made several efforts to talk to the house Assembly house committee chairman on information, Hon. Kefas Japhet, who is also the deputy Majority leader to get a comment from the House has been fruitless, as all calls to his phone numbers have gone unanswered. (Daily Independent)